A fluid heat exchanger for cooling an electronic device can have a plurality of walls. The walls can define a corresponding plurality of microchannels. Each microchannel can extend from a first end to a second end. The plurality of microchannels can define at least two opposed outer microchannels and a centrally located microchannel positioned between the opposed outer microchannels. A fluid inlet passage can be configured to deliver a heat-exchange fluid to each microchannel between the corresponding first end and the corresponding second end of the respective microchannel. A fluid outlet passage can have an enlarged outlet region from the centrally located microchannel compared to a corresponding outlet region from one or both of the opposed outer microchannels. Related methods are disclosed.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The fluid heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the top cap comprises the inlet port, the outlet port, or both.
4. The fluid heat exchanger according to claim 3, further comprising a seal and a housing cover, wherein the seal extends from the second plate to the housing cover and separates the inlet passage from the outlet passage.
6. The fluid heat exchanger according to claim 5, further comprising a manifold plate extending across the plurality of distal edges of the walls to close off each of the plurality of the microchannels across a region positioned opposite the heat spreader plate relative to the plurality of microchannels.
7. The fluid heat exchanger according to claim 6, further comprising a seal, wherein the seal is a portion of the manifold plate.
8. The fluid heat exchanger according to claim 6, wherein the fluid inlet passage comprises an inlet opening to the plurality of microchannels, and wherein the manifold plate defines the inlet opening.
11. The fluid heat exchanger according to claim 10, wherein the first outlet opening from each microchannel is positioned at the first end of the respective microchannel, wherein the second outlet opening of each microchannel is positioned at the second end of the respective microchannel.
13. The fluid heat exchanger according to claim 12, further comprising an outlet port configured to receive the heat-exchange fluid from the header.
14. The fluid heat exchanger according to claim 13, wherein the housing cover comprises the outlet port.
15. The fluid heat exchanger according to claim 14, wherein the inlet passage comprises an inlet port.
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March 17, 2017
September 24, 2024
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